There was an article in last week's Chicago Tribune on Megachurches, megashows: Some organzations spend $1 million on performances to spread message.

This paragraph summarizes the article:

In an age of megachurches that thrive on congregations that sometimes number 20,000 or more, elaborate Christmas productions that can cost $1million have become a valuable marketing tool. Gone are the days of angel costumes made of white sheets and tin-foil halos. With the proliferation of megachurches, holiday pageants have gone Hollywood.

The article contains some interesting quotes from James Twitchell, a professor of English and advertising at the University of Florida:

"It has nothing to do with the Christmas message. . . . It's selling a sensation, an experience. . . . What competitive churches understand is that you are not going to sell your service on the basis of doctrine because it's all the same. When people go to church they . . . want to know if there's a good show. And often that's not coming out of doctrine, it comes from music, theatrics and the sound system.

HT: Jeff Brewer